it was earlier. the fire has very streep terrain and has mulitple spot fires down in the canyon, // on the east flank where the
fire is the winds will be causing this area some trouble as ffs are expecting a north wind to hit there later on tonite
or sometime tomorrow.. ffs are expecting a battle with that area.
Joann
To: californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com
From: kimnoyes@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 22:27:27 -0700
Subject: [californiadisasters] MOUNTAIN FIRE: Idyllwild being evacuated; 19,400 acres burned
MOUNTAIN FIRE: Idyllwild being evacuated; 19,400 acres burned
Press-Enterprise STAFF WRITERS
hifting winds have pushed the 30-square-mile Mountain Fire dangerously close to Idyllwild and Fern Valley in the San Jacinto Mountains, threatening thousands of homes and triggering evacuations, fire officials say.
Residents and campers rushed to get their belongings into vehicles, which are streaming steadily down Highway 243 toward Banning and Highway 74 toward Hemet.
Roccio Gutierrez grabbed her two daughters and some clothes as she made arrangements to leave.
"It's scary. I thought they had it under control," Gutierrez said.
The brush- and timber-fed blaze destroyed seven homes and several outbuildings in the Bonita Vista/Apple Canyon area Monday, July 15, the day it began. Officials said 4,100 homes are now threatened.
The fire has charred 19,400 acres and is 15 percent contained. Its cause has not been determined.
As the Idyllwild evacuation got underway, up-bound lanes of highways 74 and 243 were closed, except to area residents who work off the mountain and are trying to return home to retrieve important documents and valuables, said Mike Lindbery, a captain with the Ventura County Fire Department who is acting as incident spokesman.
The communities of Pine Cove, Mountain Center and Poppet Flat were not included in the 6 p.m. evacuation order.
Even as the Idyllwild stores and restaurants closed and a plume of smoke filled the sky about a mile away, those fleeing were confident their hamlet would be saved.
Elanie Moore, 73, packed her car with photo albums and two decades of research on ancient Baja cave paintings. She's been through fires before in her 31 years on the mountain.
"I don't see the town burning down," Moore said. "We've been through it before. We just have to keep chugging along."
On the southern border of the fire, flames crested a ridge near the northern end of Morris Ranch Road about 5 p.m.Wednesday, giving new urgency to a two-hour-old evacuation order for residents of a dozen homes in the Trails End community. A towering cloud of smoke billowed over the canyon, which only has one narrow road leading in and out.
Cal Fire crews said they would send structure protection teams if they could, but would not risk the lives of residents or firefighters.
As flames peeked over the ridge, some residents in the back of the canyon were still watering down their homes and packing belongings.
Doug Dowalter, 58, had his sprinkler on his roof while he and his wife packed an RV with drinks, clothes and valuables.
Then the fire crested on the ridge right above their home and they knew it was time to leave.
"I think it will go by us. I'm thinking positively," Dowalter said. "But it's not worth dying for. It's part of mountain living — you take it day by day."
Firefighters went door to door to make sure residents were leaving.
Down the road, Art and Irene Jenke were packing up their four dogs and two cats from the home they've shared for 32 years.
"I just hope my house doesn't burn," Irene Jenke said. "We built this ourselves. These are our memories here."
MAP: Areas affected by Mountain Fire
View Mountain Fire in a larger map
Nearly 3,000 firefighters from across Southern California battled the flames. They were aided by 17 helicopters and 10 airplanes, including a DC-10 jumbo jet, dropping water and fire retardant to try to stop the fire's advance.
Camp Emerson in Idyllwild, operated by the California Inland Empire Council of the Boy Scouts, evacuated about 250 youths and adults who had been in the camp late Wednesday afternoon.
Red Cross shelters have been set up at Hemet High School, 41701 E. Stetson Ave., Hemet; Beaumont High School, 39139 Cherry Valley Blvd., Beaumont; and Hamilton High School, 57430 Mitchell Road, Anza. Residents can bring their small pets to Hamilton High.
Small and large animals also can be taken to the San Jacinto Valley Animal Shelter at 581 S. Grand Ave. in San Jacinto, according to the Forest Service.
Damien Yawman, an Idyllwild resident and chef at the Mile High Cafe, stopped at Mountain Center on his way to his mother's home in Orange County. His car was loaded with his dogs, cats, guinea hens, lizards and possessions.
"It's going to be a real tragedy if it goes up in smoke," he said. "Everyone in Idyllwild right now is panicking and loading up and heading out."
Emily Pearson, of Idyllwild, owner of the Mountain Center Café, has been through evacuations before. But it's still nerve-wracking, she said.
"This is the fourth time in 43 years we've been through this. Enough already," she said.
Contributing to this report: Staff writers Gail Wesson, gwesson@pe.com, and Janet Zimmerman, jzimmerman@pe.com
Source: http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/hemet/hemet-headlines-index/20130717-mountain-fire-new-evacuation-ordered.ece--
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